Engagement ring, lab grown Diamonds or Natural?
More and more lab grown diamonds and jewelry ads are appearing but, are they real? What’s the difference between lab grown diamonds and natural ones? How would we suppose to choose between the two of them? To find out the answers, simply read through our short article to make your engagement ring shopping process easier and more confident.
First of all, lab grown diamonds are real diamonds! It has the same chemical and physical characteristics as a natural diamond. One of the major differences between them is how they were formed. One is formed naturally underground multimillion years ago by extreme geological activities while the other one created in the lab by scientists. Most lab grown diamonds we see in the market are made by two methods: Chemical Vapor Deposits (CVD) or High-Pressure High-Temperature (HPHT).
A CVD (left), HPHT (middle) and natural diamond crystal (right). The CVD diamond is edged in carbon from the growth process. Photo 1 (4cs.gia.edu.)
In most cases, we cannot spot the difference between a lab grown diamond versus a natural one with naked eyes. For example, if a natural diamond has the same 4C’s(cut, color, clarity, and carat weight) as a lab grown diamond, even a trained gemologist won’t be able to tell the difference by just looking at the two. Only well-equipped laboratories could make proper identification between those two types of diamonds. Do you see the difference of the natural and lab grown diamond in the picture below?
Photo 2&3 by Vanny Gems
The pricing between the two diamonds might be another curious point for the general public. Due to the pandemic, we have noticed natural diamonds pricing rising quickly and surprisingly high due to the shortage in the supply chain. In the meantime, the technology that is used to make the lab grown diamonds, improved and made the fabrication process more efficient, which reduced the final price on the lab grown diamond prices compared to few years ago.
In the current market environment, we generally expect 50%-70% price differences between the same 4Cs’ natural and lab grown diamonds.
It doesn't matter which type of diamond you decide to purchase, we always encourage clients to choose a diamond with certification like from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), International Gemological Institute (IGI) or other credible laboratories. Please note that when the diamond is small, for example natural diamonds less than .50ct or lab grown diamond less that 1.00ct, they sometimes are not sold with certification due to the size and cost. However, choose your engagement ring from an industry expert or a reputable jewelry company is always suggested.
If you need help choosing either natural or lab grown diamonds, at Vanny Gems, we are always glad to help at your best interest.
Photo 1 with text, accessed July.09th, 2022,< https://4cs.gia.edu/en-us/laboratory-grown-diamond/>